The invention relates to a bathroom unit, in particular a shower unit, in accordance with the preamble of claim 1.
Bathroom units in the form of shower units are well-known. As a rule, they consist of a base incorporating the shower tub and a shower unit wall, by means of which the shower unit can be closed in a splash-proof manner towards the outside. The shower unit wall comprises a door which is, as a rule, designed as sliding door. Such kind of shower units exists in a plurality of different shapes, for instance square, rectangular, triangular, polygonal, sector-shaped (e.g. semicircular or quarter circular) or round.
The object of the present invention is to further develop a bathroom unit, i.e. in particular a shower unit, such that its practical value is improved.
For solution of this problem, the present invention suggests in accordance with claim 1 that a heating device extends at least over a partial section of the shower unit wall. Alternatively or preferably additionally to the heating device that is for instance available in the bathroom in the form of a heating radiator, the subject matter of the present invention thus provides a heating device at least over a partial section of the shower unit wall. This heating device thus is capable of not only keeping the room in which the shower unit is accommodated at an agreeable temperature, but especially and selectively the interior of the shower unit itself. This very substantially increases the xe2x80x9ceffect of feeling finexe2x80x9d and thus the practical value of a shower unit pursuant to the invention.
Advantageous embodiments of the invention are the subject matters of the subclaims.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment, the heating device is arranged outside the shower unit wall. The interior of the shower unit thus is heated up indirectly through the shower unit wall, or, respectively, the heating device heats up the directly adjacent shower unit wall which then, in turn, radiates heat into the interior of the shower unit. In addition to a large-surface and even emission of heat, in particular the advantages result that the heating device is protected from splash water and thus from furring up and pollution, and that there is no risk of a person taking a shower to get burnt by the heating device when this is operated at correspondingly high temperatures.
If the shower unit wall comprises in the area of the heating device an additional door that is to be opened towards the interior of the shower unit, the advantage results that the heating device can radiate heat directly into the interior of the shower unit when the door is open, i.e. that increased emission of heat is possible. Furthermore, one or several towels may be hung up behind this door and thus directly in front of the heating device; with the door closed, this towel/these towels are kept in a splash-proof way and are pre-heated by the heating device during the shower process. After showering, the additional door may be opened and the pre-heated towel(s) may be taken out, and drying may be performed within the shower unit, so that no dripping water gets out the of shower unit. The heating device furthermore enables a quick drying of the interior of the shower unit.
The shaping of the heating device preferably is adapted to the shaping of the shower unit; in an especially space-saving and esthetically attractive way, both the shower unit wall and the heating device are curved. This is in particular the case when the shower unit has the shape of a quarter circle, i.e. is intended for corner installation.
A so-called rung radiator is particularly suited as heating device. Such rung radiators are not only attractive as to their optical appearance, but they additionally offer the advantages that they can easily be kept clean and that one or several towels can be directly hung on them.
The doors, i.e. the access door for the shower unit and also the additional door that covers the heating device from the interior of the shower unit preferably are sliding doors since such sliding doors are easy to operate, quickly provide large access or entrance openings and seal off reliably.
In accordance with another preferred embodiment, the heating device may be connected to the cycle of an already existing central heating. The feeding of the hot water can be performed either via wall-side supply and outlet connections or else via supply and outlet connections that are incorporated in the base of the shower tub and project upwardly therefrom.
Likewise, the heating device may be an electric radiator that emits the necessary heating energy either directly or via a heating medium cycle (oil or the like).
If the supply and outlet connections for the heating device, i.e. for instance flow and return in the case of hot water or oil radiators or feeding cables in the case of an electric radiator, are incorporated in the base of the shower tub, the advantage results that no wall connections have to be provided or installed subsequently for the heating device. The bathroom unit is installed and connected as a unit, with all supply and outlet connections and all connections for the heating element being supplied via the base. This is of particular benefit in the case of bathroom renovations since no conduits have to be installed in the wall and a possibly existing file cladding thus need not be removed and, as a rule, be destroyed.
If the sliding doors have, at their outer edges facing the end walls of the shower unit, at least one pusher, by means of which all sliding doors can, in their open condition, be shifted to and fro in one go between the two end walls, the maximum access or opening width may quickly be obtained, even if the entire sliding door is three- or multi-winged.
If the heating device may be swiveled away from the adjacent shower unit wall, this shower unit wall is well accessible in the case of need, for instance for cleaning purposes.